Starbucks, the company you hate to love
On Wall Street: Dominic Rushe
The Sunday Times Online
I HATE Starbucks. In a lazy way. As someone who drinks a lot of Joe and spends too much time in coffee bars, I quite often find myself guiltily knocking back a double espresso and hoping nobody sees me under the sign of the mermaid.
If I’m honest what I most dislike about Starbucks is its success. World domination has just been too easy. This is the Cro-Magnon man of the coffee chain. In London, in particular, Starbucks seem to have squeezed out the gentle, kind Neanderthal coffee people almost entirely. Gone are the friendly folk who would make you eggs, apple pie and custard and “frothy coffee” and smile gently at your hangovers. In their place are Starbucks, or a series of more or less successful imitations, all tricked out by some appalling design consultancy to look like television make-overs of a real home.
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posted by Robert @ 10/17/2004
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Nostalgia rarely recalls the truth. That 'frothy coffee' had lots to do with milk and nothing to do with coffee, and that ghastly Nescafe after-taste lingered long after the stomach-churning milkiness was forgotten. Not to mention memory of the oily residue floating at the top of the cup and its secondary function as a loose-hair magnet.
'Eggs, apple pie and custard'? more like cheap sausages, fatty bacon, watery beans and more grease.
Starbucks get my buck because I long for their combination of fresh wholesome snacks, and a decent grind of the bean on a cold london morning.
They are successful because the sell what I need. Goodbye to the greasy spoon - good riddance.
Nostalgia rarely recalls the truth. That 'frothy coffee' had lots to do with milk and nothing to do with coffee, and that ghastly Nescafe after-taste lingered long after the stomach-churning milkiness was forgotten. Not to mention memory of the oily residue floating at the top of the cup and its secondary function as a loose-hair magnet.
'Eggs, apple pie and custard'? more like cheap sausages, fatty bacon, watery beans and more grease.
Starbucks get my buck because I long for their combination of fresh wholesome snacks, and a decent grind of the bean on a cold london morning.
They are successful because they sell what I need. Goodbye to the greasy spoon - good riddance.
have you ever eaten anything in starbucks other than a muffin? the 'food' is terrible, wet sandwhiches and soggy salads. i go to coffee shops to relax, but Starbucks is about as relaxing as an airport lounge. Starbucks is so cold and sterile for all its fake warmness. its not nostalgic to want diversity. and - dare i say it - its not as if their coffee is up to much either.
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